


Ear-sy Rider II: Reconnect

by raptorginger



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Restaurant, Angst, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Everyone Ships It But Them, F/M, Fluff, Gift Fic, I made it a thing, M/M, bb-8 is little king trashmouth, ben is logan, bob's burgers au, chewie is bob, crack fic?, everyone is adults, finn is jimmy jr, is that a thing?, marshmallow is marshmallow because duh, maz is linda, mitaka is gene, palpatine is jimmy pesto, poe is zeke, rey is louise, rose is tina, yeah i'm bending over backwards to make this work, yoda is mr fischoeder
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-15
Updated: 2019-02-27
Packaged: 2019-10-29 01:22:22
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 7,199
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17798420
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/raptorginger/pseuds/raptorginger
Summary: “I bet when you guys reconnect in your thirties, you’ll get married” - Gene Belcher S5 ep10TheBob's Burgersinspired AU no one asked for, but the one I need right nowThank you to avamarga and nowreen on Twitter for reading the firsts 900 words of this and not running away screamingthis is officially gifted to Ever-so_Reylo, but it's for all the Reylos who need anything right now.  Fluff, a warm hug, feels.





	1. New Bacon-ings

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Ever-so-reylo (Ever_So_Reylo)](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ever_So_Reylo/gifts).



> yeahhhhh...  
> i needed this to happen, and sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do  
> rating might change? i dunno, i feel weird about making this one explicit. feel free to help a sister out in the comments!

“Oh my God, Poe! You can’t just let him in here!” Rey shouted as her sister Rose’s long time friend and sometimes romantic rival opened the front door of her family’s restaurant to let in a very round, very old raccoon. The critter’s nails clicked across the worn linoleum floor as it scampered toward Poe’s stool at the bar and sat, waiting expectantly. She couldn’t muster much malice in her voice, though. She was about to close up shop and join Maz and Chewie upstairs, and the raccoon was practically a family pet at this point. She heaved an exaggerated sigh and retrieved the little bowl Maz had set aside under the counter, the name “BB8” painted lovingly in grey and orange around the cracked porcelain vessel. She carefully sloshed a couple of ounces of Merlot into the bowl and handed it to Poe, who set it on the floor. The animal lapped it up greedily and used his paws to judiciously wash up when he was finished.

“He’s neater than you,” Rey teased.

Poe rolled his eyes and made a sound that sounded like air hissing out of a pipe. He twisted his hips on his stool while he finished his beer and the rest of his fries, the once sparkly red vinyl cracking and squeaking as he spun.

Rey suppressed a groan. They’d need to replace the seats again soon. It had been ages since it’d been done last. She hoped the supplier was still around. Rey picked up a clean bar rag and and wetted it so she could start wiping down the counter. Poe got up and let BB8 back outside, flicking the main light switch and “Open” sign off. Only the small lights over the bar were on now, the entire restaurant cast in a soft dim light. The sickly yellow pallor from the street lights could barely reach through the glass, and Rey could just make out the sign for Sheev’s Pizzeria (the Original!) through the fog and mist. She rubbed the Formica counter a bit harder and started muttering under her breath. Although Sheev Palpatine was no longer around to harass her foster dad Chewie, she felt like he’d put up that sign just to annoy him. Palpatine had franchised his restaurant years ago and moved away from Seymour’s Bay “for his health.” He came back every now and then to check on things and trade barbs with Chewie and Maz, but otherwise he was no longer a part of their lives, for which Rey was grateful.

She set her rag aside and began to pick at The Spot on the counter, the one no one had been able to get out since the damn thing had been installed decades ago. She huffed into her palm. _Pick. Pick. Pick._

“Something on your mind, Sport?” Poe asked as he brushed fry crumbs and ketchup from his mouth.

Rey pushed back against the counter’s edge and went to grab her own beer from the cooler. Snapping it it open, she took a long thoughtful sip before she answered. She’d moved back a couple of years ago to help Maz and Chewie go through old things and ended up sticking around. As Chewie and Maz had gotten older, it was impossible to miss how they struggled to accomplish the tasks needed to keep the business going everyday. Rey didn’t mind. She’d always wanted to take over Takodana Cantina when she was older, but she couldn’t help feeling like something was missing. Maybe things left unsaid or undone. To whom or what, she had no clue. Moving back to Seymour’s Bay had dredged up strange feelings of yearning and nostalgia that she had no idea how to deal with, so she often shoved them aside and chose to live in some strange emotional purgatory. It worked for her.

“Arthritis is a bitch,” Rey muttered finally, taking another swig of her beer.

Poe barked a laugh, but it didn’t reach his eyes. Rey knew Poe was going through his fair share of strange feelings too. Well, maybe not strange. Just, a lot. He and Finn had broken up, again, and Finn was dating Rose now. Again. Rey didn’t see why the three of them couldn’t just be together, but apparently Rose couldn’t stand Poe. Or something. Rose always mumbled when she talked about Poe. To be fair, Poe had a tendency to mumble about Rose, too. 

Rey was pretty sure they were all in love with each other, but just couldn’t admit it due to years of childhood rivalry. She gave Poe a sympathetic smile. They’d figure it out. They had to.

“Hey, you about done? I need to lock up here,” Rey said.

Poe wiped his face with his napkin and chugged the last swig of his beer. “Yup,” he coughed as he tugged his worn leather jacket on. “Thanks for listening.” 

He pushed his way outside, turning up his collar at the damp, and flipped a wave goodbye. Rey tried to plaster a smile on her face as she waved back, thankful when Poe stepped out of view. Her face fell back into its familiar morose expression as she continued to sip her beer and wipe down the counter and tables. Overall, she enjoyed this time of day, closing time. The air was still and mostly quiet, the only sounds the groaning of the large refrigerator in the kitchen and the pipes in the crawl space. She could hear the hum from Biggs’ furnace next door, and tried not to think too hard about why it was on and instead focused on the soothing white noise.

Absentmindedly, perhaps to cover up the sound of the furnace, she started to whistle the theme song from her favorite _Hawk & Chick_ movie, _Hawk & Chick versus Seaweed Monster_, a genuine smile creeping up on her. She remembered when she and Chewie had to improvise the dubbing on stage during an impromptu film festival. Rey laughed to herself and decided she’d pop it in the VCR when she got back upstairs. Maybe make some popcorn. Rey stopped wiping the table she was cleaning and took a step back, holding her arms around her middle. She wrapped the nostalgic feeling around her like a blanket, allowing herself to bask in the warmth of her memories for just a moment.

Rey finished the rest of her cleaning quickly and switched off the bar lights.

“Good night, Restaurant,” she murmured to the dark interior as she pushed open the door. The night air was thick with mist and fog, the smell of sea salt strong in her nose. She could hear the rush of a car here and there a couple of streets away from Ocean Avenue and the sounds of the late night revellers at Wonder Wharf as she turned the key in the stubborn lock and headed for the apartment door. Her hand hovered over the handle for a moment, the mist in the air clinging to her skin. Distinctive laughter cut through the night air like a knife, shrill and biting. Hux and Phasma. Rey groaned inwardly. They had always been more of Rose’s problem than hers, but that didn’t mean they ignored each other. Unfortunately. 

Rey tried to hurry and unlock the front door when Hux’s simultaneously deep and whining voice called out to her, “Hey, Rey!” He and Phasma snickered at the rhyme.

Rey rolled her eyes and plastered on her fake smile and turned around to see the pale red headed man and the fabulously tall platinum blonde behind her, inseparable as always with knowing smiles on their faces. Rey didn’t like that look. It meant they knew something she didn’t and were about to burst a bubble she didn’t even know she had. “Hey, guys!” Rey replied as cheerfully as she could. “What’s up?”

Hux and Phasma shared a look between each other before Hux spoke in a mock conspiratorial tone, “Did you hear who’s coming back to town?”

“No, I didn’t. Tourists?” Rey replied in a wry tone, dropping her fake smile.

“Don’t be thick,” Phasma said, rolling her eyes and snapping her gum. 

Rey turned fully around and crossed her arms defensively. “Look, I just want to go upstairs and relax. Why don’t you just say what you came here to say and go to The Desire Dungeon, or whatever the hell it’s called, thinking you pissed me off, and we can all have a pleasant evening, okay?”

“Geez, don’t get so defensive,” Hux said in his weird nasally voice. “We just thought, as friends…,” 

Rey gave Hux a speaking glance.

“As _acquaintances_ , we should tell you that _Doctor_ Ben Solo will be back in town. You guys knew each other right?”

Rey felt the color drain from her face. Oh, she knew Ben Solo. Practically everyone in town knew she knew Ben Solo. Her nemesis as a child, her torment as a teenager, a fleeting dream as an adult. And, if she was honest with herself, probably the reason she felt so weird about being back in town. Hux and Phasma smiled in an infuriatingly superior way. She rammed her keys back in her jacket pocket and shoved between them.

“Fuck you, Hux,” she snarled as she strode down the sidewalk, heading she knew not where but trusting her feet to get her there safely. Hux and Phasma headed in the opposite direction, cackling wickedly.

Rey stalked quickly down the sidewalk, head down and hands fisted in her jeans pockets. She slowed when she eventually turned off Ocean Avenue, her pace becoming more shuffling. Pebbles and stones bounced against the rubber heel of her black Converse as she kicked them half heartedly, only to encounter them again after a few feet. It was darker here, quieter, colder. The sounds of the rocks clattering along the pavement seemed to echo all around her as Rey came to a stop. She was at The Steps. The stone steps where she’d first met Ben when she was nine years old. He’d been a teenager then, and a bully. He’d taken her hat, a silly pink thing with rabbit ears, probably her most cherished possession at the time. She’d gone...a bit overboard in her response perhaps. But, if a nine year old has access to the leader of an outlaw biker gang, it’s only natural she’d call him up to help deal with a bully. Yeah, just a little overboard in hindsight.

Rey sat down on the steps and stared at the tops of her shoes, hands limp between her knees. He’d tormented her all through her childhood with pranks and, just, his general existence. It was easy for a nine year old Rey to make him into her nemesis, and her into his. What sixteen year old wants to lose face to a nine year old? He’d tormented her in a much different way when she reached her teens and he started college, although he seemed to have forgotten her completely by then. That hurt worse than the childhood teasing and jokes to a scrawny high school girl with a crush on a college boy. She thanked whatever God was out there for Rose, who had helped her get her feelings out on paper, and for Dopheld who insisted she practice all of the ridiculous dance routines he made up on the fly so he could “visualize his art.” It helped her forget. She still thought about Ben sometimes, especially now that she’d moved back and saw reminders of their shared past everywhere she went. She wondered how college had gone for him. His parents had pushed him into a very prestigious university, and he’d gone on to medical school. She wondered if it had been what he wanted. He was a doctor now, as Hux had so kindly pointed out, so he must have been okay with it. 

She was grateful Maz and Chewie had never been that way. Then again, they’d always struggled to keep their heads above water, so maybe that was just a result of their focus needing to be on the family’s survival rather than their futures. Things seemed to have turned out well enough, however. Dopheld was a choreographer in New York and Rose was a fairly successful author. And Rey had more or less taken over the restaurant, which had now seen a fair share of success thanks to Millennials who tended to shun chains and franchises in favor of local places like hers.

Rey heaved a loud rumbling sigh and chastised herself for feeling so maudlin. Why did she let him occupy her thoughts at all? There was no way she occupied his. He’d probably stopped thinking about her the second he became a high school senior. A junior even. Chewie would say something about how she was letting him live in her head rent free, or some other weird parent bullshit that sounded helpful but ultimately wasn’t.

Why had she even stopped here? Damn subconscious. Rey pushed on her knees and stood up, straightening her My Chemical Romance t-shirt back over her hips. She turned to head toward Wonder Wharf, thinking she might ride the Ferris Wheel or the Scream-i-cane when a voice called out to her from behind, stopping her dead in her tracks, soft and low and deep, like caramelized sugar.

“The only thing missing is your ears,” Ben Solo murmured. “I’m sure I gave those back to you when we were kids.”

Rey blinked at him, completely overcome with _something_. Something fragile and precious that left her awash in warmth and pain and softness. It was too much, too many conflicting things and she hated it. And he stood there, appearing completely unaffected and looking better than anyone had a right to look. Rey knew she had grown since she was nine, but he still towered over her as he always had, but he was broader now, the perfect tailoring of his jeans and his well fitted black jacket making him appear even moreso. His hair was still thick and dark, his mouth teasing and expressive. He looked _expensive_ , like something in a store she’d been told not to touch in case she broke it. Like something so out of her sphere of existence it was a surprise they’d crossed paths at all.

And yet, he’d remembered her ears. Rey fingered the hem of her oversized jacket. She’d dressed much the same in high school. Jeans and band t-shirts and Converse. And her ears. He’d remembered her ears. 

_He’d remembered her ears._


	2. Free to Brie You and Me

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you all so much for your lovely comments on this weird mashup of mine! glad to know i'm not the only one out there

“I’m sorry. Do you remember me? It’s Ben. Ben Solo,” Ben said apologetically. His shoulders slumped minutely, and he shoved his hands deep into his pockets. Something in his expression changed. He looked more guarded. Wary.

Like she could ever forget him. Rey realized she was staring at him like a deer caught in the headlights. She cleared her throat. “Of-of course I remember. Wh-what are you doing here?” Rey winced. She hadn’t meant to sound so accusatory. Or so terrified.

“My parents asked me to come help them move back into town from King’s Head Island. They were living in that ramshackle mansion death trap, you know? Uncle Luke finally convinced them to give it up.”

“Umm, right. He mentioned that they were moving back last time he was in with Biggs.” Which was today, but Ben didn’t need to know that. “I didn’t know they’d asked you to help.”

Ben looked slightly hurt and confused, and Rey winced again. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean that the way it sounded. It’s just, aren’t you a doctor now or something? Aren’t you like, on call or whatever?”

“Actually, I’m a surgeon. And, I...umm...took a vacation,” Ben mumbled. He looked down and shuffled his feet awkwardly.

Rey tilted her head to the side and took a tentative step forward. She began to reach out a hand, thought better of it, and returned it to her jacket pocket. “Oh,” she replied softly. There was more he wasn’t saying, but Rey decided to let sleeping dogs lie for the moment. “A surgeon? That’s gotta be...intense.”

Ben barked a wry laugh, still refusing to look up from his shoes. “That’s one word for it,” he said darkly.

Rey felt something tighten in her chest, and she clenched her fist in her pocket. Her phone buzzed then, and she jumped. Ben looked up, alarmed when she yelped, as she fished the device from her coat.

It was a text from Rose. _OMG just heard! GURL get home! Mom has wine (duh)_

Rey groaned and rolled her eyes. Of course Maz had wine. It’d be the end of the universe before Maz didn’t have a bottle frittered away.

Rey held the phone up. “My sister. She’s in town from Craggy Neck. Needs me now, apparently.”

“Oh! Sure. Can I umm, stop by the Cantina tomorrow?”

“Well, we’re open, so yeah,” Rey teased.

“I mean, it’d be to see you.”

Rey felt herself flush. “Umm, sure,” she squeaked. “We close at 8.”

Ben smiled then, and Rey felt warmth spread through her. “See you then.”

*

“Is his butt still cute?” Rose demanded as Rey walked into the apartment kitchen. She was pouring servings of some kind of red wine into mugs as Rey tugged off her coat. 

“Oh my God,” Chewie muttered as he stepped into the kitchen and immediately circled back out upon hearing Rose’s question.

“Dad wait, take me with you!” Rey cried as Rose pulled her into one of the chairs at the kitchen table. They scuffled playfully before Maz stepped in.

“No fighting girls!” Maz scolded as she, too, grabbed a seat at the table. She took a sip from her mug of wine and sighed happily. “So tell me, what’s got you all in a dither?”

“Ben Soooloooo is back in town,” Rose sang.

“Oh my God,” Rey mumbled in an exact imitation of Chewie, head in her hand.

“What are we all talking about? I was on the phone with Ken and I heard Rose shouting,” Dopheld interjected. He walked to the fridge and pulled out a plate of cheese, tearing the cellophane off and dumping some crackers alongside before joining Maz and his sisters at the table.

“Ben Solo is back in town,” Maz said under her breath.

“Ahh!” Dopheld lifted his feet and kicked them excitedly under the table. “Mom! Do you have any Chocolate Shim Shams? This calls for Chocolate Shim Shams.”

“Dopheld?!” Rey asked in surprise. “When did you get here?”

“Like, five minutes ago,” Dopheld replied around a mouthful of cheese and cracker. “So, yeah, how’s his butt?”

“Dad! I’m coming in!” Rey shouted as she pushed away from the table with her mug of wine.

“Bring wine!” Chewie called from the living room.

“Oh, like we won’t follow you in there,” Rose said teasingly as she got up too.

“If I tell you his butt’s still hot, will you leave me alone?” Rey hissed.

“I said ‘cute,’ not ‘hot,’” Rose replied, her eyes twinkling.

Rey groaned loudly and dramatically and ran from the kitchen.

Rose and Dopheld squealed with laughter.

“Kids! Leave your sister alone!” Maz ordered as she grabbed another mug from the cabinet and another bottle of wine from the rack on the kitchen counter. They all made their way into the living room to find Rey curled up on the couch with Chewie, leaning against him, her mug clasped between her hands. Maz sat on Chewie’s other side, and Rose and Dopheld sprawled out on the floor in front of the old couch. The TV was on, but none of them heard it as they waited for someone to speak first. 

It ended up being Maz. “If that boy doesn’t apologize for bullying you all those years and then kiss you, I’m going to sic the raccoons on him,” she stated with finality.

“Agreed,” Chewie rumbled.

Rey flushed and said nothing, instead drinking deeply from her mug. She welcomed the fuzzy tingling feeling the wine brought to her extremities, and she snuggled deeper into the couch. One by one, Maz, Rose, and Dopheld all drifted to their bedrooms, leaving Chewie and Rey the only two awake.

“Want to fire up the Burn Unit?” Chewie asked, wrapping his large arm around Rey’s shoulders and giving her a fatherly shake. “I think there’s one of those cheesy horror sequels on.”

“Can we watch _Hawk & Chick_ instead, Dad?” Rey asked in a small voice.

Chewie blinked and smiled. “Of course we can, Sweetie. Can you put it in the player? My old knees hurt too much.”

Rey crawled off of the couch and popped the tape into the old VHS player. She’d offered to upgrade her parents’ TV and entertainment systems a couple of Christmases ago, but they’d refused. “It wasn’t the same,” Chewie had insisted.

Rey settled back into her spot on the couch and rested her head on Chewie’s shoulder. She watched the movie without seeing it, too preoccupied with her own thoughts. She felt her eyes grow misty and she sniffled as quietly as she could. What the hell? Why was she crying? She wasn’t sad. Exactly.

Chewie hugged her to his side and kissed the top of her head. “It’s going to be okay, Rey. I promise.”

“I don’t even know why I’m crying, Dad,” Rey tried to laugh. Her words came out as weird hiccuping sounds instead.

“Sometimes when we keep too much inside, it finds a way out anyway. No matter how hard we try.”

“When have you ever known me to hide how I’m feeling?”

“Rey, you’ve always worn sarcasm and reactionary hyperbolic rage like a suit of armor. You don’t give people a chance to know the real you, what you really feel, because you’re too busy fighting them off with those weapons. Don’t give me that look, you know it’s true.”

Rey harrumphed and crossed her arms petulantly, but she didn’t pull away. Chewie was right.

“I know feelings can be scary, especially these kinds, but it’s worth it. I promise.”

“But I don’t want to get hurt, Dad.”

Chewie sighed and hugged Rey close. “I know. But you’ve got to take a chance sometimes. And remember, your mom and I are here. So are your sister and brother.”

Rey hiccupped as the tears began to fall in earnest, and she let them. It was a freeing feeling. Chewie held her and smoothed her hair as she cried and the movie played. She fell asleep before the final battle, snoring lightly. Chewie carefully laid her on the couch, tucked a pillow under her head and a blanket around her to keep her warm before shuffling off to bed.

*

It was eleven the next day, and Rey was standing awkwardly on her step stool, chalk in hand, to write down the Burger of the Day on the old chalkboard. The bell gave it’s cheerful twinkle above the door, but Rey was too focused to notice. She carefully scrawled “Classic” at the top and “Free to Brie You and Me” beneath that. She didn’t have the mental energy to think of a new one today, and since Dopheld was home, there was an excess of Brie in the fridge. She set the chalk back on the chalkboard ledge and dusted her hands, grousing when she saw the white powder fly from her hands to her black shirt.

As she turned and brushed at her stomach, a low voice said, “Hey.”

Seeing Ben at the counter, Rey yelped in surprise and tripped on her own feet as she tried to step down. Ben lunged over the counter, lying across it to catch her before her head hit the counter. Rey blinked at him in awkward shock, very cognizant of his large hands wrapped around her upper arms, holding tight.

“Sorry,” Ben said sheepishly. His brown eyes were warm, and he looked very much like he was trying not to laugh.

“That’s okay. I thought you weren’t coming until closing?” Rey replied in a rush. She grabbed Ben’s elbows and righted her feet, which had gone twisted beneath her. Ben’s hands slid to her wrists, his grip loosening. Rey bit her lip nervously as he looked up at her, his eyes still full of mirth. He smiled broadly, and Rey blushed slightly. She liked when he smiled. It was kind of lopsided and showed off his crooked teeth. It made him look mischievous. She liked that.

“My uncle wanted me to meet him here for lunch.”

“Oh,” Rey replied softly.

“I’m sorry, are we interrupting?” Dopheld and Rose called from the door.

Rey sprang backwards like she’d been shocked as the tips of Ben’s ears turned bright red. Ben shimmied back over the counter and onto his stool, trying to look nonchalant.

“Dopheld, did you steal my shirt?” Rey asked in an accusing tone. He was wearing a dark purple t-shirt emblazoned with a rainbow colored unicorn along with a pair of men’s skinny jeans. The outfit was a bit snug, to say the least, but Dopheld pulled it off effortlessly.

“Maybe,” Dopheld replied with a smile. “Hiya Ben! Long time no see!”

Ben nodded politely to the both of them and cleared his throat. “Hey guys. How’s it going?”

“Oh you know,” Rose replied breezily as she made her way behind the counter to join Rey, tying an apron over her blue cotton skirt. Rey rolled her eyes when she saw that Rose had also chosen one of Rey’s shirts to wear. This one was a dark blue that said “Witch, please” in the middle of a pentagram. “Fine.”

“Did both of you guys forget to pack your own shirts,” Rey muttered under her breath as she grabbed a dish tub and tried to head into the back.

“Oh no, let me get that, Sis! You hang out up here. I think Luke and Biggs’ll be here soon,” Dopheld offered with a wink as he relieved her of her dish tub.

“Thanks,” Rey replied through gritted teeth.

“So what brings you to town?” Rose asked as she handed Ben a glass of water.

Ben’s easy grin turned brittle, his eyes downcast when he replied, “Umm, my parents.”

“You know, I think Dopheld needs my help in the back. Prep and all. Bye!” Rose squeaked awkwardly as she dashed for the kitchen door. Before she ducked out of sight completely, she caught Rey’s eye and mouthed one word as she waggled her eyebrows, unmistakably. “Butt.”

Chewing her lip, Rey set aside her own embarrassment and leaned over the counter. She touched Ben’s hand lightly and asked in a soft voice, “Hey, is everything all right?”

Ben looked at where her fingers were resting gently on his skin as if it was the most fascinating thing in the world. He shrugged noncommittally. “Can we talk later? Maybe when we don’t have an audience?” he asked pleadingly.

“S-sure, Ben.”

Ben swallowed thickly and looked up at her with thanks. Rey smiled. She pushed off the counter and grabbed two more glasses as a pair of older men walked into the restaurant. “Hey Luke! Hey Biggs!”

It was going to be a long day.


	3. Enoki-doki

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "Because if you show me a sweet potato pie, I am On Top Of It." - Marshmallow, s1e6 ( _Sheesh! Cab, Bob?_ )
> 
> c/w: mention of past drug addiction

“Rose, Dopheld? Does this look okay?” Rey asked nervously as she gave a twirl and fluffed her hair. She had found a dress in the back of her closet, one she’d worn ages ago on her one and only date with Rudy. They’d had frozen yogurt and decided that they were better as friends. Kissing him had been like kissing Dopheld, Rey recalled as she tugged on the skirt of the dark green swing dress. She adjust the wide cream lace belt for the hundredth time, making sure it was settled neatly at her waist. 

“Put this on,” Dopheld ordered as he handed her a light grey cardigan. “It’s cold!” he replied when Rey scowled at him.

Rey grumbled as she slipped the thin sweater on. She held her arms out and muttered, “Well?”

“You’re adorable!” Rose cried from the couch.

“Totes adorbz,” Dopheld concurred.

Rey huffed. She wasn’t sure what she was going for, but she was pretty sure adorable wasn’t it. Then again, with her small frame, she couldn’t hope for much better. She slipped on a pair of black ballet flats and grabbed her brown leather tote from its hook before heading down the stairs. She was locking the apartment door when she saw him approach out of the corner of her eye. She gripped the key harder to keep her hand from shaking, her other clasped firmly around the strap of her bag. Finally finishing her seemingly impossible task, she took a deep breath and turned, only to find herself robbed of that very breath. Again, Ben wore a pair of beautifully fitted dark rinse jeans, this time with a grey henley stretched over his broad frame. His hair looked wonderfully unruly and soft, and Rey’s fingers twitched involuntarily. Rey smiled up at him shyly, not quite sure how to proceed.

Luckily, Ben started for her. “Rey. You look...nice,” he said.

Rey’s smile fell slightly. Nice. Code for cute or adorable. Never beautiful or hot or even pretty. “Thanks. So do you,” she murmured.

“I thought, maybe we could take a walk? Maybe head to the Wharf?”

“Sure. I’d like that.” It was safe. Easy. Awkward silences could be filled with walking instead of painful fidgeting. Ben motioned for her to step beside him, and Rey did so, tossing her keys back into her bag. Rey watched him out of the corner of her eye, holding her arms in front of her, hand around her wrist. He held his head down a bit, his thumbs hooked in his front pockets. He seemed tired, the dark circles under his warm brown eyes a dead give away. 

They walked slowly, and Rey silently thanked Dopheld for making her put on a sweater. The air was cool, but mercifully dry as they headed down the sidewalk to the end of the street. 

“So, how are your parents?” Rey asked.

She seemed to have startled Ben out of whatever he was mulling over in his head because he jumped like he’d been shocked. “Oh! They’re fine. Fighting, like usual.”

“That’s...good?”

“For them, yeah.”

Rey gave a non committal nod and began to play nervously with the ends of her hair. “So, you wanted to talk about something?”

They reached the gate of Wonder Wharf before he answered. Rey figured the sounds of the rides and the laughter and shouts of the visitors made it easier for him to talk. Privacy in a sea of strangers. He moved a bit closer so she could hear him, the nearness of his deep voice making her shiver. “Yeah. First, I want to say I’m sorry.”

“Sorry for what?” Rey asked, looking up at him. Big mistake. As she looked into the warmth of his eyes, Rey felt the entire world slow around them. All the sound around them turned fuzzy and muted, and movement seemed filtered through molasses. Ben’s sinful mouth quirked into a slight smile and her heart just about stopped beating when she felt the gentle pressure of his hand at her waist. The world seemed to hit fast forward when she realized he was just maneuvering her out of the way of a rogue skateboarder. The kid rolled speedily by, and Rey stumbled against Ben. She swallowed nervously as she felt his firm chest beneath her palms, how warm he was. His large hands were heavy on her hips, holding her steady, although she felt anything but. She felt her cheeks flush as she looked at him, the mirth in his eyes replaced by something else. Something darker and unfamiliar.

A comforting, distinctively deep voice called from somewhere behind Rey, “Sweet potato pie, Baby.”

Rey swiveled her head around and replied casually, “Oh hey, Marshmallow.”

“Hey Baby,” Marshmallow replied, the old woman giving her a knowing wink before she went on her way.

Rey turned her attention back to Ben, who had one eyebrow raised in a silent question. “That was Marshmallow. Regular,” she tried to say casually. Realizing she was still essentially groping Ben’s chest, Rey quickly moved her hands, threading her fingers nervously back into her hair.

“Ahh,” Ben replied, his voice gravelly. He didn’t move his hands, Rey noticed. “I’m sorry for bullying you all those years ago.”

“Oh, well,” Rey muttered shrugging her shoulders as she pulled away, Ben’s fingers trailing over the fabric of her dress. “I mean, it’s not like I was the nicest to you either.”

“You sicced a biker gang on me,” Ben teased, his fingers resting lightly on the small of her back as he guided them through the crowd.

Rey chewed her lip thoughtfully. If she was honest, their childhood shenanigans was not what she wanted an apology for, but that was in no way fair to him. He had never known how she felt when they were older. She’d never said so much as a word to him after he left for school. And since they weren’t friends, it’s not like he would have stopped by to say hi every now and then. She stopped at the cotton candy vendor, the aged man swirling a paper cone around in the sugar coated machine and handing her the confection. She fished around in her pocket for the two dollars, but Ben beat her to it.

“Thanks,” she said gratefully, plucking off a wad of the spun sugar and popping it into her mouth. She closed her eyes and sighed as the sugar melted on her tongue. She didn’t notice Ben was watching her the entire time.

They walked on, wandering around the maze that was Wonder Wharf, the smells of sugar, frying oil, and sea salt strong in the air. Rey held out the cotton candy to Ben. “Want some?”

Ben made a face. “Sticky fingers,” he replied with distaste.

Rey rolled her eyes and tugged off another small bit. Holding it between her fingers, she turned and held it up to him. She blushed as Ben took the candy in his mouth, his warm wet lips wrapping around her coated fingers. It felt indecent, if the feeling blooming somewhere south of her stomach was any indication, and the fact that he did not drop his heated gaze from hers the entire time did not help. 

“Thanks. I’m not usually one for sweets,” he practically growled.

“No problem,” Rey managed to choke out. She busied herself with the remainder of the spun sugar for a while, trying in vain to calm her racing heart. When the candy was finally gone, she pitched the paper cone in a bin and began to judiciously clean her fingers. “So, is there something else you wanted to talk about, now that apologies are out of the way?”

Ben looked away. Rey mentally kicked herself for having ruined whatever heated moment they had been having. “I’m moving back to town,” Ben blurted.

Rey stopped and tugged his sleeve so he faced her. His eyes were downcast again, his shoulders slumped. Seymour’s Bay was a small town, and the hospital wasn’t much. People had to go elsewhere where something like surgery. Why would he move back here? “Ben, what..?” Rey began softly.

He sighed and his shoulders slumped further, as if admitting defeat. “I...the other reason I came back is that…,” he dragged his hand down his face. “I just got out of rehab. Uppers and downers,” he finished quietly, his voice choked and halting.

Rey opened her mouth to reply, but thought better of it. Instead, she reached for him, resting her hands on his shoulders and pulling him to her. It was a bit awkward with him being so much taller, but she held him, one hand smoothing his hair, yes, it was indeed as soft as it looked, and the other rubbing his back reassuringly.

“Oh, Ben,” she whispered in a gentle voice. “What…,” that was the wrong question. “Why did you come to me, of all people? Why not your friends, an old girlfriend? Why me?” She honestly wanted to know. Why would he come to her to confess something like this? He tried to pull back, but Rey didn’t let him.

“Maybe because you never took any of my shit,” he muttered with a shrug. “Saw right through me to the monster inside and said fuck that. I knew I wouldn’t get pity from you, and I guess that’s what I want right now.”

Rey frowned and pulled away. “Do you really think of yourself that way? As a monster?”

Ben shrugged again, his body tensing. 

Rey took his hand in her much smaller one and rubbed his knuckles soothingly with her thumb. He relaxed, and Rey smiled. “You’re not a monster. You never were. You’re human.” HIs fingers gripped hers. “One that needs some work, I’ll grant,” she added with a kind laugh.

His eyes met hers again, sparkling in the flashing lights of the wharf with unshed tears. Of regret, of gratitude, Rey didn’t know. She didn’t really care, since she’d coaxed a small smile back onto his face.

“Come on. Ride the Ferris Wheel with me?” she asked hopefully.

“I’m kind of scared of heights,” Ben admitted sheepishly.

Rey squeezed his fingers. “I’ll hold your hand.”


	4. Mushroom with a View

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> a short _fin_  
>  i hope y'all enjoyed!

They were seated safely in a basket on the Ferris Wheel, safety belts buckled, when Rey took Ben’s hand again. She interlaced their fingers and resumed the soothing rubbing of her thumb. At least, she hoped it was soothing. She smoothed the skirt of her dress with her other hand and looked around excitedly. She’d always liked the Ferris Wheel. She liked the feeling of being high up in the air, able to look out and see the entire town and out across the ocean. They weren’t moving, yet Ben’s hand felt clammy in hers. She gave it a little shake.

“Hey,” she whispered. “It’s going to be okay. I’ve got you.”

Ben looked at her gratefully and she smiled. He bit his lip as if considering something before he leaned forward and brushed a chaste kiss to her cheek. “Thanks,” he mumbled as he pulled away, his own cheeks pink.

Rey blushed. “Sure,” she squeaked in reply. “Hey, would it help you to talk? Help distract you, I mean?”

“You don’t want to hear what I have to say,” Ben muttered.

Rey pulled his hand into her lap to hold it with both of hers. “I wouldn’t have suggested that if I didn’t.”

The Ferris Wheel gave its telltale lurch, and they began moving upwards. Apparently that was all Ben needed to begin rambling. He shut his eyes tight, and when he started, he couldn’t seem to stop himself, his words coming out all in a rush.

“I never wanted to be a surgeon, you know. My parents made it seem like the only option. Get into an Ivy League, go to med school, Phi Beta Kappa, all that shit just like your grandfather. I wish I’d taken Uncle Luke’s advice and ignored my parents. A patient died on my table, Rey. Do you know what that’s like? To watch helpless as someone dies in your hands? Or, under them, I guess? I couldn’t sleep. I kept seeing him. I started taking sedatives. Then I’d take uppers to wake up. More sedatives. More uppers. I was caught in the pharmacy and encouraged to leave. They didn’t even revoke my license for Chrissake. ‘Out of respect’ they said. It was such a joke.”

When he finally stopped to take a breath, Rey asked, “So what now?”

“Huh?”

“What will you do now? What do you want to do?”

Ben gave a wry laugh. “I have no idea, honestly. Uncle Luke needs help though. Figured I’d start there.”

Rey chewed her lip as they slowly climbed and she thought about what he’d told her. Her bag slipped suddenly from its place beside her and Rey bent to retrieve it. She felt an odd lump in one of the pockets, and she frowned. Hauling her bag into her lap, she let Ben’s hand go to rummage around inside. Opening the inside pocket, she laughed brightly.

“What’s so funny?” Ben asked, confused. His eyes remained resolutely closed.

Rey pulled out a worn, faded pink hat with rabbit ears. It was small, a bit misshapen, but still stretchy. Tucked inside was a note from Chewie that read, “In case you need help with grown up feelings.”

The Ferris Wheel stuttered to a halt. They were at the very top, a glorious view of the city and ocean beneath them. The air was cool as it whipped gently around them. Rey felt exhilarated. Bold.

“Ben, can you do something for me?” Rey asked.

“What? Are we done? Is it safe?”

“We’re not done. Open your eyes. For me, please? I promise it’s safe.”

Ben took a deep inhale and opened his eyes, letting his breath out in one whoosh. “Oh wow,” he murmured. He swallowed visibly and looked slowly around, taking in the view.

“You did it!” Rey praised softly, not wanting to jostle the basket and scare him. “I’m proud of you. And I don’t just mean for opening your eyes,” she added in a more sincere voice. She rested her hand lightly on his thigh, blushing when she felt the muscles tense beneath her palm. She didn’t know what to do with the look he was giving her.

“Thanks,” Ben whispered, his voice low.

“I have something for you.” 

Ben laughed when she held up her old hat. She reached up and tugged it carefully over his head. It was much tighter than when they had been kids, but it still fit, more or less. She let her fingers trail through his hair, wondering how on earth it was so soft.

“I think you need my ears more than I do right now,” she murmured. 

Rey stilled when he brought his hand up to cup her cheek in his palm, running his thumb over the burning crest. His eyes were dark. He was so close. He smelled like soap and the cotton candy she’d fed him earlier. Rey felt dizzy.

“Ben?” she breathed.

He dipped lower to capture her mouth in a gentle kiss, his lips warm and caressing, and Rey felt everything still around her. There was only her and Ben. She relaxed a bit, letting herself lean into him as she brought her hand to grip his wrist. She jumped a little when she felt his tongue brush her lower lip, his other hand at her waist. She opened for him tentatively, letting him sweep inside her mouth. He was slow, careful, gentle with her, like he knew she was as scared of this as he was of heights.

Ben broke away when the Ferris Wheel started its descent. Everything began to move again as Rey tried to catch her breath, resting her forehead to his.

“Oh wow,” she whispered.

Ben laughed softly. “Oh wow,” he concurred.


End file.
